For most of us, a real natural environment apart from human influence isn't something we can find next door. The more our cities and suburbs expand, the more difficult it is to escape humanity's zone of activity. Even seasoned travelers are hard-pressed to escape the endless tourist circuit of cities, resort-lined beaches, and mountaintop spas that pamper plenty, but don't put a premium on the ability to really interface with nature outside of our methods of building right over it. Luckily, even for those who aren't experienced jungle-trekkers, there are some areas of unblemished nature still within reach; and what's more, they can be explored without harming these precious environments in the process. Central America's Yucatan peninsula contains over 100,000 acres of the planet's lushest, thickest, most isolated tropical rainforest. A series of hiking trails, graded over several levels of difficulty, wind through the heart of the jungle. With trails designed specifically for the novice explorer, virtually anyone in good health can walk in awe through a ceaseless panorama of pristine natural ecology at work.
Trails Through the Trees
Before making a trip to the Yucatan, take a look at each of the available trails, which are rated according to the length of the hike and the endurance needed to complete it. The trails cut deep into the jungle's interior, bringing you into direct contact with an ecosystem that otherwise has no contact with the communities of man. For less experienced jungle trekkers, easier trails like the Rota por Chichen Itza trail provide a gentle path through what is otherwise unbridled nature, endlessly growing and flowering in the heat and thick equatorial mist.
About four miles in length, the Roten por Chichen Itza trail remains one of the park's least demanding but most popular paths through the wilderness. Walkable in about two and a half hours, the circular path returns you to your point of origin, allowing you to wander out into the forest before finding your way back to familiar environs. While meandering through the dense forest, you'll almost certainly have a bevy of encounters with the wildlife, such as giant, starkly-patterned monarch butterflies, or curious spider monkeys who might just make off with a camera, watch, or set of keys if their little fingers aren't closely watched. Tropical mockingbirds and other brightly-colored avians will most likely also make your acquaintance, as the area is ripe with a cornucopia of vibrantly-plumed species.
Hike to Enrich Body, Soul, and Planet
An added bonus of taking footpaths and walking trails, as opposed to driving on a vehicle path, is that your presence has a negligible impact on the natural world you observe (not to mention that walking should have a positive effect on your health as well). Plus, you can sample directly the reality and texture of the natural environment with your own five senses for the entire time you're on the trail.
Xel-Ha Eco Park, pronounced "Shell-Ha" for the ancient ruins located within its boundaries, is an ecotourism theme park that borders both the lush, green jungle and an ocean inlet full of sparkling turquoise water. A natural aquarium hosts hundreds of species, including colorful fish, birds, and a plethora of tropical plant life. Xel-Ha also contains a turtle reserve, which conducts research to help preserve the natural splendor of the nearby jungle environment. Great snorkeling, scuba diving, and even swimming with dolphins are among the many activities offered by the park.
Whichever path you choose to follow, the signature aspect of jungle treks is your constant communion with the natural world, the unshielded and uninterrupted ability to sample the jungle through physical contact. When running your hard over a fern, or your fingertips on the rough bark of a towering tree, smelling the fecund tropical heat rising from the forest floor, you'll feel alive in ways that may surprise and shock you. The ancient Maya and other pre-Columbian civilizations that dwelt in these forests maintained a powerful and spiritual connection to the natural world, and after even the shortest sojourn into the Yucatan jungle, you too will understand what they, surrounded by it, held in such continual awe.
Trails Through the Trees
Before making a trip to the Yucatan, take a look at each of the available trails, which are rated according to the length of the hike and the endurance needed to complete it. The trails cut deep into the jungle's interior, bringing you into direct contact with an ecosystem that otherwise has no contact with the communities of man. For less experienced jungle trekkers, easier trails like the Rota por Chichen Itza trail provide a gentle path through what is otherwise unbridled nature, endlessly growing and flowering in the heat and thick equatorial mist.
About four miles in length, the Roten por Chichen Itza trail remains one of the park's least demanding but most popular paths through the wilderness. Walkable in about two and a half hours, the circular path returns you to your point of origin, allowing you to wander out into the forest before finding your way back to familiar environs. While meandering through the dense forest, you'll almost certainly have a bevy of encounters with the wildlife, such as giant, starkly-patterned monarch butterflies, or curious spider monkeys who might just make off with a camera, watch, or set of keys if their little fingers aren't closely watched. Tropical mockingbirds and other brightly-colored avians will most likely also make your acquaintance, as the area is ripe with a cornucopia of vibrantly-plumed species.
Hike to Enrich Body, Soul, and Planet
An added bonus of taking footpaths and walking trails, as opposed to driving on a vehicle path, is that your presence has a negligible impact on the natural world you observe (not to mention that walking should have a positive effect on your health as well). Plus, you can sample directly the reality and texture of the natural environment with your own five senses for the entire time you're on the trail.
Xel-Ha Eco Park, pronounced "Shell-Ha" for the ancient ruins located within its boundaries, is an ecotourism theme park that borders both the lush, green jungle and an ocean inlet full of sparkling turquoise water. A natural aquarium hosts hundreds of species, including colorful fish, birds, and a plethora of tropical plant life. Xel-Ha also contains a turtle reserve, which conducts research to help preserve the natural splendor of the nearby jungle environment. Great snorkeling, scuba diving, and even swimming with dolphins are among the many activities offered by the park.
Whichever path you choose to follow, the signature aspect of jungle treks is your constant communion with the natural world, the unshielded and uninterrupted ability to sample the jungle through physical contact. When running your hard over a fern, or your fingertips on the rough bark of a towering tree, smelling the fecund tropical heat rising from the forest floor, you'll feel alive in ways that may surprise and shock you. The ancient Maya and other pre-Columbian civilizations that dwelt in these forests maintained a powerful and spiritual connection to the natural world, and after even the shortest sojourn into the Yucatan jungle, you too will understand what they, surrounded by it, held in such continual awe.
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